Singled Out: Emerald Butler's You've Got Nothing Over Me

Emerald Butler just released her new song, "You've Got Nothing Over Me," and to celebrate we asked her to share the story behind the track with us. Here is the story:

I wrote "You've Got Nothing Over Me" in my early teenage years. It was during a season when I was being somewhat bullied. Disney's "High School Musical" and Justin Bieber were trendy with the girls my age, but I had recently discovered Johnny Cash and rockabilly music. I wasn't into what was considered trendy.

I didn't have many outlets where I could safely express how I felt, so I started writing songs. At the time, I was really stubborn about liking the things that I liked, and I wouldn't conform to what other people liked just to try to fit in. That's where "You've Got Nothing Over Me" came from. The other kids weren't better than me just because I didn't like what the majority of them liked, and I wanted to tell them that. The vibe of the song came from the straightforward music I was listening to at the time. Take one of Johnny Cash's first Sun Records recordings, "Cry, Cry, Cry." All the lyrics are straightforward. It's a "just tell them how it is" kind of thing.

Naturally, when I got the opportunity to record at Sun Studios, a place that I have idolized ever since my teenage years, I knew that I had to record "You've Got Nothing Over Me." The lyrical voicing, the song structure, the rhythm, and the sound of the song all came from me absorbing the Sun Records sound as a kid. There couldn't be a better fit.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

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